Protein formulations

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to the discovery that the addition of aromatic carboxylate ions inhibit protein instability caused by aromatic preservatives. Thus, the invention relates to compositions, preferably aqueous compositions, comprising a protein, an aromatic preservative and aromatic carboxylate ions. The proteins remain stable and suitable for storage at ambient temperatures or lower, even in aqueous form. Preferably, the aqueous composition comprises a protein, a phenolic preservative and benzoate ions, wherein the pH of the composition is at least 1 unit greater than the pKa of benzoic acid. The invention also provides methods of reducing protein degradation by aromatic preservatives in an aqueous formulation of a protein susceptible to such degradation, comprising the step of adding aromatic carboxylate ions to the formulation wherein the formulation is maintained at a pH that is at least 1 unit greater than the pKa of the corresponding aromatic carboxylic acid.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/GB2011/050371, which designated the United States and was filed onFeb. 24, 2011, published in English, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/307,528, filed on Feb. 24, 2010. Theentire teachings of the above applications are incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Proteins are larger and more complex than traditional organic andinorganic drugs, possessing multiple functional groups in addition tocomplex three-dimensional structures, and consequently their formulationposes special problems. For a protein to remain biologically active, aformulation must preserve intact the conformational integrity of atleast a core sequence of the protein's amino acids while at the sametime protecting the protein's multiple functional groups fromdegradation. Degradation pathways for proteins can involve chemicalinstability (i.e. any process which involves modification of the proteinby bond formation or cleavage resulting in a new chemical entity) orphysical instability (i.e. changes in the higher order structure of theprotein). Chemical instability can result from deamidation,racemization, hydrolysis, oxidation, beta elimination or disulfideexchange. Physical instability can result from denaturation,aggregation, precipitation or adsorption, for example. Many proteins,for example enzymes, recombinant protein-based vaccines or therapeuticproteins are unstable and are susceptible to structural degradation andconsequent loss of activity while stored, particularly in aqueoussolutions. The rates of the degradation processes are typicallyproportional to temperature. Proteins in general and particularlyaqueous formulations of proteins are therefore generally more stable atlower temperatures.

Storage considerations of aqueous formulations of proteins may alsorequire that preservatives are present in the formulation to preventbacterial growth, especially if the finished product containing theformulation is intended for multi-dose therapeutic applications. Mostpreservatives used to prevent bacterial growth in protein containingpharmaceutical formulations are not compatible with proteinformulations. The list of preservatives available to the proteinformulation scientist quickly narrows to just a few compounds.Thimerosal, an aromatic organomercury compound, has been used since1930s as a preservative in a number of biological and drug products,particularly vaccines. Nowadays, the use of thimerosal is limited toseveral vaccines and, due to safety concerns, its future use is likelyto be very limited.

Preservatives that have been approved by regulatory authorities forother multi-dose therapeutic applications include compounds such asbenzalkonium salts and aromatic alcohols such as phenol, benzyl alcohol,parabens such as methyl or propyl paraben, catechol, resorcinol andm-cresol. Phenol, m-cresol and benzyl alcohol are generally preferred incurrently marketed multi-dose protein-based biologics.

Benzoic acid inhibits the growth of mold, yeast and some bacteria, andhas been used as a preservative in various food products. It has alsobeen used as an antifungal agent in topical applications. The efficacyof antimicrobial power of benzoic acid is known to decreasesignificantly at pH>4.5(http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/necfe/pubs/pdf/Venture/venture2_chemical.html)due to dissociation of the carboxylate group.

In screening preservatives for use in formulations it is necessary todetermine what levels of preservatives are efficacious at preventingbacterial growth in the particular formulation while maintaining theintegrity of the protein as well as the integrity of the preservative incombination with the other excipients in the protein formulation. Theefficacy of the preservative is dependent on the other excipients in theformulation hence the formulation scientist must assess the finalformulations conditions in a preservative challenge test which complieswith the Pharmacopoeia Antimicrobial Effectiveness Test (USP <51>, Vol.32).

Proteins are generally not exceedingly stable in the presence ofpreservatives. The preferred preservatives typically comprise ahydrophobic region, such as a benzene ring, that may interact withhydrophobic regions of the protein leading to a disruption in proteinstructure.

Therefore, aqueous protein formulations having improved proteinstability at ambient temperatures or lower temperatures in the presenceof a preservative, particularly an aromatic preservative, such as phenolor m-cresol, are needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the discovery that the addition of aromaticcarboxylate ions, such as benzoate ions, inhibits protein instabilitycaused by phenolic preservatives. Such instability may manifest itself,e.g., by generation of break-down products or generation of highmolecular weight species which is evidence of aggregation. Thus, theinvention relates to aqueous compositions comprising a protein, anaromatic preservative and aromatic carboxylate ions, such as benzoateions. The proteins remain stable and suitable for storage at ambienttemperatures or lower, even in aqueous form. Preferably, the aqueouscomposition comprises a protein, a phenolic preservative and benzoateions, wherein the pH of the composition is at least 1 unit greater thanthe pKa of benzoic acid. The invention also provides methods of reducingprotein degradation by phenolics in an aqueous formulation of a proteinsusceptible to such phenolic degradation, comprising the step of addingaromatic carboxylate ions e.g. benzoate ions to the formulation whereinthe formulation is maintained at a pH that is at least 1 unit greaterthan the pKa of benzoic acid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the aqueous protein formulations of the present inventioncomprise benzoate ions or other aromatic carboxylate ions and haveimproved stability in the presence of aromatic preservatives.

As used herein, “preservative” is a compound which can be added to anaqueous protein formulation to essentially reduce microbial (e.g.,bacterial) action. “Preservative” can also mean a combination of suchcompounds e.g. a pair of such compounds. Examples of potential aromaticpreservatives include aromatic alcohols (i.e. substances containing bothan aromatic ring and an alcohol function, not necessarily directlyconnected) such as phenol, benzyl alcohol, parabens such as methyl orpropyl paraben, catechol, resorcinol, m-cresol and chlorocresol,preferably phenol, m-cresol and benzyl alcohol. “Parabens” arecarboxylic acid esters of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. For example thearomatic alcohol may contain a hydroxyl function directly attached to anaromatic ring. Aromatic rings include carbocyclic aromatic rings such asphenyl and naphthyl rings and heterocyclic aromatic rings such as 5-10membered heteroaromatic rings containing one or more (e.g. 1 to 3)heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, especially N and O particularly O.Aromatic preservatives should not contain a carboxylic acid function.

A sub-class of aromatic alcohol preservatives are phenolic preservativessuch as phenol or derivatives of phenol (i.e. they include at least aphenyl ring with —OH attached). A second sub-class of aromatic alcoholpreservatives are benzylic alcohols, such as benzyl alcohol orderivatives of benzyl alcohol. The invention is in part based on thediscovery that aromatic preservatives can cause protein degradation,particularly degradation of proteins with exposed hydrophobic surfaces.The invention is further based on the discovery that the addition ofaromatic carboxylate ions, such as benzoate ions, reduces thisdegradation. Protein stability is further enhanced or optimized in thepresence of aromatic carboxylate ions and especially benzoate ions whenthe pH of the formulation is at least about 5.2, preferably at leastabout 5.5, 6, 6.5 or 7. Suitably the pH is about 8.5 or less e.g. 8.0 orless. Thus most suitable pH ranges include, for example, 6 to 8.5 e.g.6.5 to 8.0. It is noted that the pKa of benzoic acid is around 4.2. Inmaintaining the pH at least about one unit Greater than the pKa of thearomatic carboxylic acid such as benzoic acid, protein degradation bythe phenolic preservatives is substantially reduced. Suitably the pH isless than around 5 e.g. less than around 4 pH units higher than the pKaof the aromatic carboxylic acid.

The aromatic carboxylic acid ions e.g. the benzoate ions are added in anamount effective to reduce phenolic degradation.

As used herein reference to a particular “aromatic carboxylate” e.g.“benzoate” includes reference to a corresponding aromatic carboxylicacid e.g. benzoic acid and vice versa, the species present in thecomposition (i.e. acid or anion) being determined by the pH.

A range of low molecular weight compounds can be used instead ofbenzoate. Examples of such compounds include substituted benzoates andbenzoate homologues with small bridging groups between the aromatic ringand the carboxylate group. Substituted benzoates may be selected fromcompounds bearing one or more substitutents on other positions of thebenzene ring. Benzoate homologues include compounds in which thecarboxylate group is associated (i.e. directly or indirectly connected)to a fused aromatic ring system, such as naphthalene, as in the case of1-naphthoic acid and 2-naphthoic acid. A further example is xinafoate(1-hydroxy-2-naphthoate).

Aromatic carboxylic acids include compounds in which a carboxylic acidfunction is associated (i.e. directly connected or indirectly connectedvia a small bridging group) to an aromatic ring. Aromatic rings includecarbocyclic aromatic rings such as phenyl and naphthyl rings andheterocyclic aromatic rings such as 5-10 membered heteroaromatic ringscontaining one or more (e.g. 1 to 3) heteroatoms selected from N, O andS, especially N and O particularly O.

The most suitable aromatic ring is phenyl.

Thus benzoate homologues may also be selected from compounds in whichthere is a bridging group between the aromatic ring and the carboxylategroup which comprises one or two carbon atoms, optionally substitutedwith oxygen-containing functional groups (e.g. hydroxy) and in the caseof a two-carbon linker, this may be saturated or unsaturated. Suchbenzoate homologues may, for example, be selected from phenylaceticacid, mandelic acid, 2-phenylpropanoic acid, phenyl lactic acid andcinnamic acid. Preferably, these low molecular weight compounds are usedat a pH at which the ionizable carboxylic acid group is at least 90%ionized, i.e. at a pH at least one unit higher than the pKa of thecarboxylate group of the aromatic carboxylic acid.

Suitably the aromatic carboxylic acid is not an aromatic amino acid.

In certain embodiments the aromatic carboxylic acid comprises two ormore (e.g. two) carboxylic acid groups as in phthalic acid.

Where the aromatic carboxylic acid bears more than one carboxylategroup, as used herein, references to the pKa of said aromatic carboxylicacid are to be read as references to the lowest pKa of any carboxylicacid group of said aromatic carboxylic acid.

Suitably the aromatic carboxylic acid bears a single carboxylate group.

In certain embodiments a mixture of two or more aromatic carboxylicacids are used, for example a mixture of benzoic acid and phenylaceticacid.

A list of exemplary aromatic carboxylic acids is given in Table A below:

TABLE A pKa value(s) of carboxylate COMPOUND (as acid) group(s) Benzoicacid 4.17 2-hydroxybenzoic acid 2.98 (salicylic acid) 3-hydroxybenzoicacid 4.08 4-hydroxybenzoic acid 4.58 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid 4.41(gallic acid) 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzoic 4.5 acid (vanillic acid)phthalic acid (1,2) 2.98, 5.28 isophthalic acid (1,3) 3.46, 4.46terephthalic acid (1,4) 3.46, 4.46 1-naphthoic acid 3.70 2-naphthoicacid 4.17 indole-3-acetic acid 4.75 phenylacetic acid 4.283-phenylpropionic acid 4.66 trans-cinnamic acid 4.44 cis-cinnamic acid3.89 mandelic acid 3.85

The amount of the aromatic carboxylic acid present in the aqueousprotein formulation can vary, and may be at a molar concentration thatis lower, higher or approximately the same as that of the aromaticpreservative. In the case of an individual compound, the amount presentmay be determined by its maximum solubility in the aqueous medium at thedesired storage temperature and pH.

The molar concentration of the aromatic carboxylate ions, for example ofbenzoate ions, can be at least about 1 mM e.g. in the range of 1-500 mM,preferably 1-200 mM, more preferable 5-100 mM or 5-50 mM, such as amolar concentration of 5 mM, 10 mM or 20 mM.

Similarly the amount of aromatic preservative present in the aqueousprotein formulations can vary. The molar concentration of the aromaticpreservative, for example of phenol, can be in the range of 5-100 mM,preferably 10-60 mM, more preferably 20-40 mM such as molarconcentrations of 20 mM or 30 mM. A person skilled in the art maydetermine the amount of preservative required in a particularformulation based on the outcome of a preservative challenge test whichcomplies with the Pharmacopoeia Antimicrobial Effectiveness Test (USP<51>, Vol. 32).

The invention is applicable to any protein (as described below) used inhuman or animal therapy that requires a multi-dose administration andthe presence of an aromatic preservative. The protein concentration incompositions for therapeutic or prophylactic use varies across a wideconcentration range, from approximately 1 μg/ml to approximately 100mg/ml, depending on the indication and the nature of the therapeuticproduct. In addition, multi-dose subcutaneous administration oftherapeutic proteins may require concentrations higher than 100 mg/ml,such as 150 mg/ml, 200 mg/ml or 300 mg/ml. The present invention isapplicable across the entire range of protein concentrations betweenapproximately 1 μg/ml to approximately 300 mg/ml.

The term “protein” is used herein to include molecules or molecularcomplexes having an amino acid sequence of sufficient chain length toproduce a secondary structure and includes single polypeptide chains orprotein complexes comprising two or more polypeptides. The term“protein” is intended to encompass molecules optionally comprisingcovalently linked non-amino acid moieties such as glycosylated peptides,lipoproteins, pegylated, or conjugated proteins. Included in the term“protein” are metalloproteins having a particular three dimensionalstructure and a biological activity of interest in which activity and/orstructure are dependent on retention of a particular metal on in abinding site within the protein. The metal may be bound directly to theamino acid side chains of the protein or it can be part of a morecomplex chemical component which is bound within the protein structure.Also included in the term “protein” are protein-based supramolecularsystems, defined as systems made up of a discrete number of assembledmolecular subunits or components, Examples of such supramolecularsystems include protein multimers, virus-like particles and inactivatedor attenuated viruses.

The proteins used in the claimed invention are preferably those intendedfor multi-dose applications, such as in multi-dose vials, injectionpens, pumps and other devices. Preservative is an essential component insuch applications.

The proteins used in the claimed invention preferably have a phenolattracting region. Such proteins can be identified or characterized by ahydrophobic surface or accessible domain or region.

Examples of proteins used in the claimed invention include: protein orpeptide hormones and growth factors, such as: Insulin, Glucagon, Humangrowth hormone, Gonadotropin, Human thyroid stimulation hormone,Granulocyte colony stimulation factor, Parathyroid hormone, Calcitoninand Erythropoietin and also Somatropin; therapeutic enzymes such as,Streptokinase, Asparaginase, and Urate oxidase; vaccines, includingrecombinant protein vaccines.

The invention may also be employed to improve the stability of theprotein content of vaccines generally such as inactivated or attenuatedviruses or whole cell vaccines, such as vaccines for Hepatitis B,Haemophilus influenza, Diphtheria, Malaria, Human papilloma, MeningitisA, Meningitis C, Pertussis, Polio. Further example vaccines includethose for Hepatitis A, Cholera, Pneumonia and Typhoid.

Examples of other proteins used in the claimed invention includetherapeutic antibodies, immunoglobulins, fusion proteins, interferons,including interferon alpha, interferon beta and interferon gamma bloodcoagulation factors, such as Factor VIII and Factor IX and Factor VIIa,and antimicrobial peptides such as Caspofungin.

The invention is also applicable enzymes such as uricase and horseradishperoxidase in compositions for therapeutic or diagnostic applications.

It will be understood that whilst the above examples represent thepreferred types of proteins used in the claimed invention, the inventionis applicable to any protein or protein-containing system formulated inthe presence of a preservative, particularly any such protein which isprone to or shows signs of destabilization in the presence ofpreservatives. Such signs of destabilization may for example be evidentfrom loss of protein activity following incubation of thepreservative-containing formulation, relative to a control formulationnot containing the preservative.

The protein is present at a concentration intended to achieve itstherapeutic effect or another essential function. Preferably, thecomposition according to all aspects of the present invention comprise apharmacologically acceptable surfactant such as polysorbate 20,polysorbate 40, polysorbate 60, polysorbate 80, poloxamer 188 orpoloxamer 407.

Preferably, the osmolarity of the composition according to all aspectsof the present invention is between 150-500 mOsm/L, more preferablybetween 220-380 mOsm/L, most preferably around 300 mOsm/L.

Preferably, the composition according to all aspects of the presentinvention is sterile, the sterility being achieved by filtering thecomposition prior to the final filling to an appropriate container, suchas a vial or a pre-filled syringe, under sterile conditions, using anappropriate filter or membrane, such as a 0.22 μm filter.

The compositions according to the present invention may contain othercomponents, such as a chelating agent to complex metals or a proteaseinhibitor to ensure that the protein is not slowly digested by proteaseactivity present in the sample. Another additive that may be used is apolyalcohol e.g. at a concentration of at least 0.5%, and typically upto 5% (w/w). Examples of such compounds are saccharides such as sucroseor trehalose or sugar alcohols such as inositol, lactitol, mannitol orxylitol. Further examples of polyalcohols include 1,2-propanediol,glycerol, sorbitol and raffinose. 1,2-Propanediol and mannitol arepreferred polyalcohols.

The invention is applicable to proteins dissolved freely in aqueoussolutions or aqueous gel forms or to proteins present in an aqueoussystem as a dispersion or suspension, as well as proteins attached tosolid substrates such as vaccine adjuvant or cellular membrane by meansof hydrophobic, ionic or ligand exchange interactions, The invention isalso applicable to proteins in solid state where water has been removedpartially or fully from an aqueous solution by drying or byfreeze-drying or by spray-drying where free or bound water is stillpresent.

Thus according to the invention there is provided a method whichcomprises partially or fully removing water from an aqueous solutionaccording to the invention; there is also provided the product of such amethod.

A “stable” formulation is one in which the protein therein substantiallyretains its physical and chemical stability and integrity upon storage.“Improved stability” as used herein means that a protein formulation ismore stable in the presence of a preservative and aromatic benzoate ionsas compared to the same protein formulation in the presence of thepreservative alone under the same conditions of testing.

Various analytical techniques for measuring protein stability areavailable in the art (see, for example, Herron J. N., Jiskoot W. andCrommelin J. A. (Eds.) Physical Methods to Characterize PharmaceuticalProteins, Plenum Press, New York/London, 1995). Stability can bemeasured at a selected temperature for a selected time period. Whilststorage stability at 2-8° C. and 25° C. is typically of practicalimportance, storage under accelerated stress conditions, such as at 40°C. or at 60° C., can be used to assess the stability of the protein.Formulations of the invention have improved stability upon storage attemperatures ranging from refrigeration temperatures to room temperaturefor at least 1 month, preferably for at least 13 weeks. In a preferredembodiment thereof, such formulations have improved stability uponstorage at temperatures between 2° C. and 8° C. for several months, e.g.for 3 months, preferably for at least 12 months, most preferably for atleast 18 months. In one preferred embodiment thereof, such formulationshave improved stability at temperatures between 15° C. and 25° C. for atleast 13 weeks. In another preferred embodiment, the composition isstorage stable at 25° C. for a minimum of 18 weeks. In anotherembodiment the composition is storage stable at 5 C for a minimum of 26weeks and preferably at least 52 weeks.

As discussed above, benzoate ions, the preferred stabilizer according tothe present invention, is preferably used at a pH greater than about5.2. Buffers, particularly displaced buffers, can be used to control andmaintain the pH. Displaced buffers are described, for example, inWO2008084327A2, which is incorporated herein by reference. In aparticularly preferred embodiment, a displaced buffer system comprisingbenzoate and a second buffer is selected. The second buffer ispreferably selected from the group consisting of TRIS, glycine, arginineand methionine.

In a displaced buffer system, it is typically preferred to avoid usingan ionizable species that has a pKa within 1 pH unit of the selected pH.Such displaced buffers are suitably present in an amount such that themolarity of each buffer is at least 1 mM and/or less than 1 M,preferably 2 mM to 200 mM, most preferably 5 mM to 100 mM. In oneembodiment, one or more displaced buffers are preferably present at aconcentration of 1 mM to about 1M; more preferably at a concentration offrom about 2 mM to about 200 mM, and even more preferably at aconcentration from about 5 mM to about 100 mM.

Thus in one embodiment the protein composition of the inventioncomprises two displacement buffers comprising at least one displacementbuffer having a pK_(a) that is at least 1 unit greater than the pH ofthe composition at the desired temperature and at least one displacementbuffer (preferably, benzoate) having a pK_(a) that is at least 1 unitless than the pH of the composition at the desired temperature. In oneembodiment the protein composition of the invention comprises twodisplacement buffers comprising at least one displacement buffer havinga pK_(a) that is at least 1.5 units greater than the pH of thecomposition at the desired temperature and at least one displacementbuffer having a pK_(a) that is at least 1.5 units less than the pH ofthe composition at the desired temperature. In one embodiment theprotein composition of the invention comprises two displacement bufferscomprising at least one displacement buffer having a pK_(a) that is atleast 2 units greater than the pH of the composition at the desiredtemperature and at least one displacement buffer having a pK_(a) that isat least 2 units less than the pH of the composition at the desiredtemperature. For the purposes of clarity, where a displacement bufferpossesses a plurality of pK_(a)'s, the pH of the solution is not within1, 1.5 or 2, as the case may be, of each pK_(a).

Apart from the contribution to pH buffering, the presence ofdisplacement buffers was shown in many cases to have a beneficial effecton the protein stability. For example, in one embodiment, proteinactivity of a protein in a composition in accordance with the inventionretains at least 40% of its activity for at least one week, andpreferably at least four weeks at a desired temperature (e.g. ambienttemperature or higher). In another embodiment, protein activity of aprotein in a composition in accordance with the invention retains atleast 50% of its activity for at least one week at the desiredtemperature, and preferably at least four weeks at a desired temperature(e.g. ambient temperature or higher). In another embodiment, at least40% and preferably at least 50% protein structural activity of a proteinpresent in a composition according to the invention is retained for atleast one week and more preferably for at least 4 weeks at the desiredtemperature.

In accordance with the present invention the protein compositionpreferably does not comprise a conventional buffer in a meaningfulamount. In other words, the protein composition contains less than ameaningful amount of the conventional buffer. Conventional buffers aretypically applied in protein compositions at concentrations 2-200 mM,more typically at 5-50 mM and most typically at about 20 mMconcentration. The term “conventional buffer” is therefore definedherein as any chemical species with a pK, less than one unit butpreferably less than 0.5 units away from pH of the composition asmeasured at the intended temperature range of storage of the compositionwhich possesses a buffering capacity for the protein. The term “lessthan a meaningful amount” means that the conventional buffer is presentin the composition at concentration less than 5 mM, but preferably lessthan 2 mM.

The invention is applicable to stabilization of a protein throughout itsproduct life including isolation or expression, purification, transportand storage.

Further aspects of the invention include:

Use of aromatic carboxylate ions to increase the stability of an aqueouscomposition comprising a protein and an aromatic preservative; and

A method of increasing the stability of an aqueous compositioncomprising a protein and an aromatic preservative which comprises addingto the composition aromatic carboxylate ions.

The patent and scientific literature referred to herein establishes theknowledge that is available to those with skill in the art. All UnitedStates patents and published or unpublished United States patentapplications cited herein are incorporated by reference. All publishedforeign patents and patent applications cited herein are herebyincorporated by reference. All other published references, documents,manuscripts and scientific literature cited herein are herebyincorporated by reference.

EXEMPLIFICATION Example 1: Effect of Benzoate Ion on the Rate ofAggregation in Aqueous Compositions of Human Growth Hormone (hGH) at 40°C. in the Presence of Phenol as a Preservative

Formation of high molecular weight species (HMWS) was followed inaqueous solutions of hGH (15 mg/mL) using the following size-exclusionHPLC method: The mobile phase was prepared by mixing 97 parts (v/v) of63 mM sodium phosphate (pH 7.0) with 3 parts (v/v) of propan-2-ol. Themobile phase was filtered prior to its use. The liquid chromatograph(Agilent 1100 series) was equipped with a 214 nm detector, guard columnand a 7.8×300 mm BioSep SEC-S2000 column. The flow rate was maintainedat 0.6 ml/min. 15 μl of aqueous samples of hGH were injected. Thepercentage of HMWS was expressed as the ratio of the total area of allpeaks with shorter elution time than the monomeric form of hGH versusthe total peak area, ignoring peaks corresponding the excipients. ThehGH solutions were incubated at 40° C. and assessed for the presence ofHMWS at specific timepoints. In addition, the samples were assessed byeye for signs of visible precipitation. The effect of benzoate anion (inthe form of potassium benzoate) was studied on the rate of aggregationin two different background solutions:

Background solution 1: histidine (10 mM), mannitol (264 mM), Poloxamer188 (3 mg/ml), phenol (30 mM), pH 6.1.

Background solution 2: lactate (100 mM), TRIS (20 mM), Poloxamer 188 (3mg/ml), phenol (30 mM), pH 6.1.

The rate of HWMS formation at 40° C. is shown in Table 1. It was shownthat the presence of 10 mM benzoate anion resulted in lower rate of HMWSformation both in background solution 1 and in background solution 2.

TABLE 1 Effect of formulation component on the rate of formation of highmolecular weight species (HMWS) in aqueous compositions of hGH followingincubation at 40° C. Formulation parameters/components HMWS (%) Benzoate40° C. 40° C. Background solution (mM) T0 (4 weeks) (9 weeks) Backgroundsolution 1 0 1.3 9.0 22.5 Background solution 1 10 1.2 6.5 17.5Background solution 2 0 1.2 6.1 15.0 Background solution 2 10 1.4 4.710.8

Example 2: Effect of Aromatic Carboxylates and Other Compounds onStability of Uricase 60° C. in the Presence of Phenol and m-CresolPreservatives

Uricase was obtained from Sigma (U0880). The enzyme was formulated at100 μg/ml. Measurements of enzyme activity were performed on a 96-wellplate using an optical assay: 10 μl of the formulation was mixed with100 enzyme diluent solution (borate buffer 25 mM, pH 8.5) and 50 μLsubstrate (sodium urate 2 mM). The mixture was equilibrated at roomtemperature for about 5 min. After 5 min, the following reagents wereadded in this particular order to each sample (the first reagent must beadded at exactly 5 min, the timing of the other reagents addition isless crucial): 50 μl of citrate/phosphate buffer (0.5 M. pH 4.0); 15 μLof TMB (3 mg/mL, dissolved in DMSO) then 15 μL of lactoperoxidase (1mg/mL, dissolved in water). The resulting solution was mixed thoroughlyand absorbance was read at 630 nm using a plate reader. Optical densitywas calibrated using a range of concentrations of a reference enzymesolution. All measurements were carried out in triplicates and averagevalue was recorded. Stability of enzyme was found in the preliminaryexperiments to be optimal at pH around 8.0, with minimal effect of ionicstrength on the stability. The preservation of the enzyme activity wasstudied in a background formulation containing 10 mM histidine and 300mM 1,2-propanediol, adjusted to pH 8. With the exception of controlsamples, the enzyme solutions contained either phenol (30 mM) or benzylalcohol (30 mM) as a preservative. The effect of the stabilizingexcipients was studied by comparing the stability of uricase in thesolution containing the preservative only with that in the solutioncontaining both the preservative and the stabilizing component. Theconcentration of the additives tested was selected based on theirsolubility in aqueous solutions.

It was shown (Table 2) that the presence of the preservatives (phenol orbenzyl alcohol) resulted in impairment of stability of uricase at 60° C.Whilst 78.9% of the original activity of the enzyme was observedfollowing incubation at 60° C. for 6 hours in the absence of thepreservatives, the activity recovery was 55.6% in the presence of phenoland 57.7% in the presence of benzyl alcohol. The presence of an aromaticcarboxylate as an additional excipient in the preservative-containingcompositions resulted in reduction of the destabilizing effect of thepreservatives. In contrast the presence of a non-aromatic carbocycliccarboxylate (ions of cyclohexane carboxylic acid) caused an increase inthe destabilising effect.

TABLE 2 Effect of formulation components on the stability of uricase at60° C. in a background composition consisting of histidine (10 mM), and1,2-Propanediol (300 mM), pH 8.0. Stability is expressed as percentageof activity measured following incubation at 60° C. for 6 hours withrespect to the activity measured in a freshly prepared sample.Preservative Activity recovery Phenol Benzyl alcohol (30 mM) (30 mM)Sample (with respect to the presence of a preservative and additionaladditives) No preservative, no additive 78.9% 78.9% Preservative, noadditive 55.6% 57.7% Additives tested (all in the presence ofpreservative) Cyclohexane carboxylic acid (20 mM) 28.5% 41.9% MandelicAcid (20 mM) 68.6% 85.8% Phthalic acid (10 mM) 67.8% 75.8%trans-cinnamic acid (5 mM) 58.5% 69.0% Phenylacetic acid (5 mM) 57.7%66.6% Benzoic acid (20 mM) 67.2% 79.3%

Example 3: Effect of Aromatic Carboxylates on Stability of HorseradishPeroxidase (HRP) at 60° C. in the Presence of a Preservative

HRP was obtained from Sigma (P8250), The enzyme was formulated at 0.5mg/ml. Measurements of enzyme activity were performed on a 96-well plateusing an optical assay: 20 μl of the formulation was mixed with 180 μlenzyme diluent solution (1.82 mM ABTS, 28 mM hydrogen peroxide in 0.1Msodium phosphate buffer pH 7.0). The resulting solution was mixedthoroughly and absorbance was read at 630 nm using a plate reader after5 min. Optical density was calibrated using a range of concentrations ofa reference enzyme solution. All measurements were carried out intriplicates and average value was recorded. Stability of enzyme wasfound in the preliminary experiments to be optimal at pH around 7.0 andrelatively independent of ionic strength. The preservation of the enzymeactivity was studied in background formulations containing 10 mM TRISand 1,2-propanediol (300 mM) at pH 7.0. With the exception of controlsolutions, the solutions contained m-cresol (30 mM). The effect of thestabilizing excipients was studied by comparing the stability of HRP inthe solution containing the preservative only with that in the solutioncontaining both the preservative and the stabilizing component. Theconcentration of the additives tested was selected based on theirsolubility in aqueous solutions.

It was shown (Table 3) that the presence of a selected preservative(m-cresol) resulted in a slight impairment of stability of HRP at 60° C.Whilst 90.2% of the original activity of the enzyme was observedfollowing incubation at 60° C. for 6 hours in the absence of thepreservative, the activity recovery was 79.5% in the presence ofm-cresol. The presence of an aromatic carboxylate as an additionalexcipient in the preservative-containing compositions resulted inreduction of the destabilizing effect of the preservatives.

TABLE 3 Effect of formulation components on the stability of HRP at 60°C. in a background composition consisting of TRIS (10 mM), and1,2-Propanediol (300 mM), pH 7.0. Stability is expressed as percentageof activity measured following incubation at 60° C. for 6 hours withrespect to the activity measured in a freshly prepared sample. m-Cresolas preservative Activity recovery Sample (with respect to the presenceof a preservative and additional additives) No preservative, no additive90.2% Preservative, no additive 79.5% Additives tested (all in thepresence of preservative) Phenylacetic acid (5 mM) 97.0% Benzoic acid(20 mM) 99.3%

While this invention has been particularly shown and described withreferences to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood bythose skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may bemade therein without departing from the scope of the inventionencompassed by the appended claims. It should also be understood thatthe embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and thatfeatures from the various embodiments may be combined in whole or inpart in accordance with the invention.

Throughout the specification and the claims which follow, unless thecontext requires otherwise, the word ‘comprise’, and variations such as‘comprises’ and ‘comprising’, will be understood to imply the inclusionof a stated integer, step, group of integers or group of steps but notto the exclusion of any other integer, step, group of integers or groupof steps.

The invention embraces all combinations of preferred and more preferredgroups and suitable and more suitable groups and embodiments of groupsrecited above.

1. An aqueous composition comprising a protein, an aromatic preservative and aromatic carboxylate ions.
 2. A composition of claim 1 wherein the aromatic carboxylate ions are selected from the ions of benzoate, substituted benzoates and benzoate homologues with small bridging groups between the aromatic ring and the carboxylate group.
 3. A composition of claim 1 wherein the pH of the composition is at least one unit higher than the pKa of the carboxylate group of the aromatic carboxylate.
 4. A composition of claim 1 wherein the aromatic carboxylate ions are benzoate ions.
 5. A composition of claim 4 wherein the benzoate ions are derived from at least 90% ionized benzoic acid.
 6. A composition of claim 1 wherein the pH of the composition is at least about 5.2.
 7. A composition of claim 6 wherein the pH of the composition is at least about 5.5.
 8. A composition of claim 6 wherein the benzoate is added in an amount of at least 1 mM.
 9. A composition of claim 1 further comprising a buffer selected from the group consisting of TRIS, glycine, arginine and methionine.
 10. A composition of claim 1 wherein the aromatic preservative is selected from aromatic alcohols such as phenol, m-cresol, chlorocresol catechol, resorcinol and benzyl alcohol and parabens such as methyl or ethyl or propyl or butyl paraben.
 11. A composition of claim 10 wherein the aromatic preservative is phenol, m-cresol or benzyl alcohol.
 12. A composition of claim 1 wherein the protein is a therapeutic protein for a multi-dose application.
 13. A composition of claim 1 wherein the protein is selected from the group consisting of peptide hormones and growth factors, therapeutic enzymes, vaccines interferons and blood factors.
 14. A composition of claim 1 further comprising one or more protein stabilizing agents, such as protease inhibitors, chelating agents, sugars or detergents.
 15. A composition of claim 1 wherein the protein is the protein content of a vaccine containing an inactivated or attenuated virus or a whole cell vaccine.
 16. A composition of claim 1, for use in therapy or diagnosis practised on a human or animal body.
 17. (canceled)
 18. A method of reducing protein degradation by aromatic preservatives in an aqueous formulation comprising an aromatic preservative and a protein prone to destabilization in the presence of a preservative, comprising the step of adding aromatic carboxylate ions to the formulation, wherein the formulation is maintained at a pH of at least 1 unit greater than the pKa of the corresponding aromatic carboxylic acid.
 19. A method claim 18 wherein the aromatic carboxylate ions are benzoate ions and the pH is at least about 5.2.
 20. A method according to claim 18 wherein at least 50% of protein activity is retained for at least one week at a desired temperature.
 21. A method according to claim 20 wherein at least 50% of protein activity is retained for at least four weeks at a desired temperature. 22-24. (canceled)
 25. A method according to claim 18 wherein at least 50% of protein structural integrity is retained for at least four weeks at a desired temperature.
 26. (canceled)
 27. A method of increasing the stability of an aqueous composition comprising a protein and an aromatic preservative which comprises adding to the composition aromatic carboxylate ions.
 28. A method claim 27 wherein the aromatic carboxylate ions are benzoate ions.
 29. A method claim 28 wherein the pH of the aqueous composition is at least about 5.2.
 30. A method claim 29 wherein the pH of the aqueous composition is about 8.5 or less.
 31. A composition of claim 6 wherein the pH of the composition is at least about 6.0.
 32. A composition of claim 6 wherein the benzoate is added in an amount of 5 to 50 mM. 